Lips Like Nicotine
by deadtodd
Summary: His kisses were addicting and she took advantage of the fact that she could have them at any time she wanted. -hiatus-


**Grimmy**: _BACK! And you all should thank Edward Crane. It's because of Edward that I forced myself to sit down and finish rewriting the files that I lost(read the new note on my profile) and get this chapter to you guys. In just about every review Edward sent the fact that I need to update LLN was hinted. Sooo, feeling guilty I buckled down and did what I could. No, the next chapter isn't finished yet and while I'd rather not give myself a deadline, they make me cringe, I should be done with it in the next two weeks at least. _

_This was a bit rushed towards the end so it's a bit sloppy. It hasn't been betaed and I've never been good at writing for more than two people at a time. It feels like I'm always leaving someone else out. So tips on that would be nice. For those of you who didn't know, what bothered me the most about the original LLN was that there was a lack of overall character development. So, while this is an ArnoldxHelga fic, it will feature the development of other characters and their relationships as well. Not exactly a bad thing since the chapters will be longer. _

_Totally unrelated but I feel that I should point this out. People tend to make canon characters into Mary-Sues(yes, it is possible) by making them all of a sudden perfect. It happens, A LOT, but it won't be happening here. Arnold didn't all of a sudden get tall and muscular and Helga didn't become drop dead gorgeous. She still has her same ol' goat ears and her unibrow. That being said, I think I should point out that I don't own Hey Arnold. _

She was at that pyromaniac stage.

Sure she was a lot more discreet than other teenagers were but that didn't mean she never got caught. It happened in the alley not too far from her old elementary school, PS118, as she was taking a long drag from a cigarette. It had become her latest burning obsession. The stale taste it always left on her lungs. The way the smoke would burn her nostrils and make her eyes water slightly. If she sucked too hard the rush of heat would burn her fingertips but she wanted to make sure she smoked every single flake of tobacco.

She probably should have stuck to setting other things on fire, like clothes and her old wooden dresser. But she was a smart girl. She knew that after what happened a few weeks ago, that had become entirely too risky. So she began lifting cigarettes off of her mom when she was passed out on the sofa after another drunken episode, or snatching money to get someone to buy her a pack from the store. It was a lot safer than actually burning other things.

Helga rolled her eyes as she leaned back against the dusty brick wall. She only had one cigarette left but she knew that wasn't enough to sate her craving for nicotine. She needed something else and once again her craving flared up. Not that she really thought of herself from an addict. She simply saw it as a need to have more of what she couldn't. Perhaps if she smoked something like the fancy Cuban cigars that her father seemed to love. They were an upgrade right?

And that's when she saw him. Awkward blonde hair, football shaped head, and that dorky blue hat. Those were the things that had stayed the same about him over the years. His body however, something she'd definitely noticed, had filled out. He was more muscular but not in a beefy type of way. He was no body builder. It was more of a sinewy shape. He'd long ago stopped wearing that blue sweater, his wardrobe becoming more diverse. But today, he'd decided to wear that red plaid shirt that covered his butt and a pair of dark jeans.

They hadn't seen much of each other in high school, or rather he hadn't seen much of her. Upon sight of her failing grades her teachers decided to take her out of the honors classes that they'd shared and put her in with the rest of the losers who weren't ahead of the average idiot. Her failure to do better in those normal classes led her teachers to believe that something was wrong at home, which wasn't a far cry from the truth. And once again she was seeing a school councilor.

Of course, her pessimistic attitude and constant sarcastic comments had broken this poor man. She wasn't the same gullible girl she'd been in elementary school. He quit his job after their third session.

And she went back to watching him silently in the halls. It wasn't stalking, it was observing. He was happy, and in turn that made her happy.

"Hey, Arnold!"

She could have punched herself in the face. Why did she do that! He turned and peered into her alleyway before walking towards her. If she was a coward she would have ran away. Her heart began to thump and it suddenly felt a lot hotter than it did moments before. She pulled her cigarette from her lips and blew some smoke into the air. It wouldn't look nice if she began to choke on smoke.

"Helga? What are you doing?"

She suddenly felt self conscious. He was taking entirely too long to check her out and in her current attire she knew she wasn't exactly attractive looking. Old black t-shirt with a fading witty remark, at least a size too big. Dull shorts with frayed ends that she wished were a few inches longer. They felt so short now. Her hair was pinned up into a sloppy ponytail, decorated only by the pink bow that she'd worn for years.

She felt slightly panicked and almost reverted back to her former bully self. _Almost._ With a slow deep breath she reminded herself that she didn't need to be that girl anymore. She had nothing to hide and no matter how much she wanted to hide it, he already knew of the emotions she held for him. Previously she claimed but she was sure he still suspected her. She was just grateful that he didn't know just how strongly she felt.

He snatched away her cigarette.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing bucko!"

She didn't really care as much as she would have if it was anyone else. But this was what she needed. The pure exhilaration his presence caused. She needed to be able to yell at him for actually caring. She needed someone who could get her blood hot and her heart racing. She almost wanted him to be there again...

"You shouldn't smoke Helga. It's bad for you."

She glared at him and for a moment and her wish had come true. It was like old times. He was once again trying to stir her in the right direction and she was, like always, reluctant to follow.

"Well duh! What else am I going to do in this hell hole of a city?"

She had to wonder just why did she call him over anyways. She was used to watching from afar so why did she need to be so close to him now?

"You're addicted! Do something else that you like whenever you need to smoke."

_Like you're going to be around to kiss me every time I feel like lighting up. _Helga snorted and rolled her eyes at the thought before refocusing her gaze on him. His eyes were guarded, his cheeks a pinkish color. She instantly knew that she'd thought out loud again.

"That's not so hard."

Did he really just say that? Was he actually considering kissing her, Helga G. Pataki, whenever she requested? Surely, this was one of her many dreams. He was entirely too caring and she had to wonder, was he in this for something else? No one could possibly be this nice, especially not to someone like her. Someone so different.

"Don't be stupid Arnold."

"I'm being serious." His expression was stern and she knew he had his mind made up.

She reached out to snatch her cigarette back from him but he quickly grabbed her wrist. "I want my fucking cigarette football head." She could see it being crushed out of the corner of her eye before he lightly grazed his lips across hers. Her face felt warm and her knees weak. Was that why his other arm was wrapped loosely around her? Did he know she felt so..._ weak_? And all too soon she was staring into his warm green eyes. He was serious about his offer. She could get used to this...

"There's your cigarette."

"Cigarette?" was the only thing she could manage to mutter, he eyes darting back and forth. She supposed that she was looking for an escape or something but she'd never found it. He kissed her again and she felt relief. This was all so wrong, so why did it feel so right?

"Whatever you say Helga."

* * *

Rhonda paced back and forth, huffing every now and then as she looked at newly polished mahogany wood door. This wasn't the first time that she'd gone through this routine, and after waiting for a good two hours she figured she had a damn good reason to be upset. She clinched her fists and glared at her neatly stacked pile of received Valentine's day stuffed animals. And in one angry kick they were scattered all over the floor, a few rolling under her canopy bed while others mixed into other received piles.

She turned so quickly that her neatly trimmed bob fanned away from her face. Huffing again she glared down at the tiny girl trying to text the person that they were waiting on. Even after all those years, she still maintained the spot as Helga's best friend. Her eyes then turned to the red headed girl next to her. Miss perfect. She had even managed to snag a spot as one of Helga's best friends, not that the unruly blonde would admit to it aloud.

Just like she, herself, would never admit that she was rather fond of the girl. She let out an unladylike growl and stomped on a stuffed penguin that was unlucky enough to land near her.

"Helga when I get my hands on you," she practically screeched.

"You're going to pull me close and tell me how much you love me."

"Helga!" all three girls cried, heads snapping towards the partially open bedroom door.

She stuck a pose and ran a hand through her messy blonde hair. "In the flesh."

Rhonda's eyes widened as she took in the girl's appearance. Messy blonde hair that had been lazily gathered into bunches right behind her ears. Rumpled old shirt. Dazed expression and a red mark on her neck. "You were late because you were off smooching some guy! You tramp," Rhonda hissed as she pointed at Helga.

"Wow," was Phoebe's awed response as she noticed the blonde's bright red cheeks.

Helga huffed angrily and turned her back to all three girls, pulling her shirt over her head as soon as she was sure they could only see her back. "Oh, Rhonda goes off on those little make out escapades and no one says anything. I kiss a guy and its like Jesus popped out and flashed ya. Criminy." With another huff she undid her pants, sat down in the middle of the floor, and pulled them off. "Pass me that halter top over there Pheebs."

Phoebe tossed the shiny fuchsia halter to Helga, only to wilt seconds later under Rhonda's disapproving gaze. "It's just that it was ever so surprising to see that you weren't hung up on Arnold anymore." Even Rhonda winced as she looked the innocent looking redhead.

"I think what she means is that we all have had someone before, while you tend to keep your options open Helga," Phoebe muttered logically.

Helga let out a loud snort. "Yeah right, you've only had one boyfriend Phoebe and you aren't even dating him anymore." It came out a lot meaner than she intended.

"It's called a break Helga," Rhonda said, taking up for Phoebe with an eyeroll.

"Oh, you would know." Another snort.

"Well she is the school gossip. I just figured that you would always wait for Arnold. But I'm ever so glad that you're broadening your horizon." Lila flashed Helga a pleasant smile, even if it was her back that she was smiling at.

"Well _Lila_, what if he was the one?"

It was quiet for a moment before Rhonda yelled, "No way. No way in hell. You are not telling me that you kissed Arnold Shortman. And you are not telling me that he's the one who gave you that massive hickey."

"I think that's exactly what she's saying Rhonda," Phoebe chimed in, looking at her best friend with a fond smile. She passed Helga a pair of dark leggings before she could ask.

"Look, Princess. Can we just go to this stupid party?" Helga muttered as she pulled on the thick stocking like material. She ran her fingers back and forth through her blonde hair before pulling it into a single messy ponytail then looked back at the other three girls. "Say yes and I'll give you every single detail when we get back."

Rhonda folded her arms across her chest and took a few steps forward. "You better." She flashed a friendly smile as she pulled Phoebe to her feet while Lila bounced merrily out of her chair. She may have seemed like just another cold fashionista but it was times like this where she could let loose and be herself. It was times like these where she truly was happy. And it was times like these that she would remember.

**Grimmy: **_So, what do you think about the new LLN? I'm obviously adding in a few new things, the party for example. Any ideas you all think should be included?_


End file.
